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Struggles of a 24-Year-Old

Saturday, February 25, 2017

I just celebrated my birthday a few weeks ago and I still can't grasp the idea that I'm freaking 24 years old! Gosh, I'm old!

Turning a year older comes with added expectations and responsibilities, but for me, turning 24 is a whole new level of pressure.

So here's a list of struggles all 24 year-olds like me can totally relate to:

1. YOU ARE A LEGIT ADULT NOW SO YOU SHOULD ACT LIKE ONE. But... how?

ME? An adult? Haha! How do you even adult? Shouldn't there be a guide or a manual or something? Because honestly I have no idea how to properly adult. (I mean, who does, really?)Some people my age look so legit, looking all grown-up, doing grown-up stuff. But when I look at myself in the mirror, I look a little older but I still feel like a teenager waiting for my mom to tell me what NOT to do. So how do you act like one if you can't even consider yourself as one?

2. FEELING LIKE YOU ARE RUNNING OUT OF TIME

When you're on your early 20's YOLO was an accepted excuse for doing anything. It's okay for you to just go with the flow and figure life out as it goes because you have all the time in the world.But now, all I can think of is "Where did all that time go? Shouldn't I be rich and famous by now? WHY ISN'T EVERYTHING GOING AS PLANNED?!"You start to question everything you've done with your life, retracing your steps and wondering what you're doing wrong. Then the question changes to, "Did I even do anything right?"

3. PRESSURE TO THE NTH POWER. The universe expects more from you now.

There comes a certain point when you need to really start figuring things out and start getting your shit together. And boy is it hard to get your shit together. You look around you and everyone else seem to have it all figured out. Moving on with their lives, being productive and doing something worthwhile aside from their day jobs.

And then you look at yourself. You start to feel the pressure. Pressure from your parents pushing you to be better. Pressure from seeing your friends accomplishing way more than you have. Pressure from what other people might think of you. And the worst pressure of them all, the pressure of not only disappoint others but disappointing YOURSELF and not living up to YOUROWN expectation.

4. COMPETITION IS E-V-E-R-Y-W-H-E-R-E and super tough!

You know you have what it takes to make it. You've had your fair share of doubts but you know you're good, you just need a little push, or just waiting for your big break. But the problem is, SO DOES EVERYONE ELSE. That's how us millennials think. We all want to make it big and conquer the world. I believe that's a good thing, but that also means competition is super tough!You're competing with every other person your age who have similar struggles, feels and goals as you. Not to mention the younger generation which seem way more aggressive than we are. You really need to quit slacking and step-up your game.

5. QUARTER LIFE CRISIS IS REAL!!

When you were younger you thought your older and wiser self would have it figured out eventually, so in the mean time you just float. Then you realize YOU are your older self. You start to panic because you seem more lost than ever. You still aren't able to answer the big question: WHAT DO I REALLY WANT TO DO WITH MY LIFE? And more questions pop-up every time you think about it.You have lots of ideas but you don't know how to jump-start them. Or you just can't seem to find a job that fits your criteria. You can't figure out your finances and almost always spend more than you should. You seem to be frustrated all the time with no apparent reason (which frustrates you even more). And instead of figuring things out, you just binge watch your favorite series and stare at your life as it crumbles in front of you.

BUT..

Yep, you DO tend to overreact most of the time. So in the end, despite all the struggles you face every single day, keep in mind that you are ONLY 24. You still have your whole life ahead of you.

Things might not have gone as planned and this might not be your ideal situation but that doesn't mean you won't get there eventually. Even though it's hard sometimes, never compare yourself to anyone. Keep in mind that you are awesome and your friends are awesome, but we are all different kinds of awesome.

Always, always believe in yourself (no matter how hard that is to do sometimes) and never ever stop trying. Turn all your struggles into motivations and from there, every move you make should lead you to your goals and to a better, happier version of yourself!

ielinthemiddle

Hi, I'm Iel! This blog is my attempt to push myself to live more and fear less! Here you'll read my thoughts, opinions and experiences on work, traveling, food, and life. Figuring stuff out one little step at a time.